Muscat: Come February 8 and Muscat will revel in the glory of a magical night of soulful music and dance.

The Charity Wing of the ISC is organising an event at the Majan Ballroom, Al Bustan Palace Hotel, to pay tribute to the legendary ghazal singers, Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Singh.

The aim of Rafta Rafta, Ahista Ahista named after the signature ghazals of the two maestros, is to raise funds to help distressed low-income workers in Oman.

Both the musical pioneers were born in the historic Indian state of Rajasthan but the 1947 partition of British-India made Mehdi Hassan, the 'Shahenshah-e-Ghazal' of Pakistan and Jagjit Singh, the Indian 'Ghazal King'. However, their music knew no borders and kept millions of hearts in the subcontinent united.

Within a gap of one year, the world lost these stalwarts. Their legacy however lives on in a treasure trove of beautiful melodies.

February 8 will be an unforgettable journey down memory lane. A celebration of their lives and the musical treasure they have left behind for the world to enjoy.This noble event is being orchestrated by the well-known theatre, radio and film personality, Salima Raza.

Salima has graced all these arenas as an actor, compere and director. A recipient of many "best actress" awards for her stage performances, she devotes her time to meaningful theatre activity, that are often related to social issues besides being of assistance to the disabled.

Salima Raza, has close links with Oman having been instrumental in the setting up of Radio Oman English service. Salima has also written, directed and acted in the TV film Dhaage Prem Ke, a landmark film on communal harmony.

On this upcoming February event, Salima says: "Just like music knows no boundaries, people who suffer pain and hurt are beyond identities. By organising this event, we want to pay tribute to the all-time great singers Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Singh, whom we have lost recently. Both were singers par excellence who spread the message of love and humanity."

"In honouring these two legends, we are happy to also be reaching out to help low income workers. This will not be a run of the mill charity night. Singers and dancers will light up the stage to enchant the audiences of all age groups and spread the message of love, which was at the core of their ghazals," she added. Entry will be by invitation only.